Hypertext Webster Gateway: "precedent"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Precedent \Pre*ced"ent\, a. [L. praecedens, -entis, p. pr. of
praecedere: cf. F. pr['e]c['e]dent. See {Precede}.]
Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent
services. --Shak. ``A precedent injury.'' --Bacon.

{Condition precedent} (Law), a condition which precede the
vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Precedent \Prec"e*dent\, n.
1. Something done or said that may serve as an example to
authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an
authoritative example.

Examples for cases can but direct as precedents
only. --Hooker.

2. A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent;
hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign. [Obs.]

3. A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished
copy. [Obs.] --Shak.

4. (Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for
future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an
authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of
proceeding to be followed in similar cases. --Wharton.

Syn: Example; antecedent.

Usage: {Precedent}, {Example}. An example in a similar case
which may serve as a rule or guide, but has no
authority out of itself. A precedent is something
which comes down to us from the past with the sanction
of usage and of common consent. We quote examples in
literature, and precedents in law.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

precedent
adj : preceding in time, order, or significance
n 1: an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a
later time [syn: {case in point}]
2: (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial
decisions [syn: {case law}, {common law}]
3: a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)


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